WISCONSIN — On Wednesday, Republicans in Madison gaveled in and immediately gaveled out of a special session called by Gov. Tony Evers. Evers said the sessoin would, in part, address the access to child care in Wisconsin, as well as affordability of child care. 

Data from a new report showed the statewide situation is likely on the verge of getting worse before getting better.

"In our state, we're seeing more and more people leave the child care field because other competing jobs are just able to pay more money," said Kevin Dospoy, deputy director of Forward Analytics. "We've seen, over the past seven years, that a bunch of other jobs with low barriers to entry increase wages much faster than child care year over year. It's drawing people away from the child care field."

Forward Analytics' new report showed that some families in Wisconsin are now spending up to 36% of their income on child care. The report also said from 2010 to 2022, the number of child care workers statewide has fallen by 26%.

"The ripple effect is that more and more two-parent households are going to have that discussion about whether one parent has to stay home because they can't afford child care. It obviously has a ripple effect on the workforce," Dospoy said. 

Watch the full interview above.